of
our destination, the Banyaпs country, making plans for our settling
amongst those people, and full of happiness at the thought of our new
enterprise. An excellent spirit prevailed in our little troop,--serious
and gay at the same time; no regrets, no murmurings; with a
presentiment, indeed, that the Transvaal Government might make some
objection to our advance, but with the certainty that God was with us,
and would over-rule all that man might try to do. We crossed the Orange
Free State without hindrance, we passed the Vaal, and continued our
route towards the capital of the Transvaal; we reached the first
village through which we must pass--Heidelberg--and encamped some
distance from there. There they told us that the Boers knew that we were
about to pass, and if they wished to stop us, it would be there they
would do it. Let us take courage, therefore, we said, and be ready for
everything. We unharnessed, and walked through the village in full
daylight, posting our letters, etc. No one stopped us or spoke to us,
and we retired to our encampment, thanking God that He had kept us
through this critical moment. Some days later, we approached a charming
spot, within three hours of Pretoria, near a clear stream, surrounded
with lovely trees and flowers; we took the Communion together,
strengthening each other for the future. Monday, at nine o'clock, we
reached Pretoria. We were looked at with curiosity; they read our names
on the sides of my waggon, they seemed surprised, and held discussions
among themselves; the Field Cornet himself saw us pass, they told me
sometime later. But we passed through the town without opposition.

"We continued our way to the north-east full of thankfulness, saying to
each other that after all the Government of the Transvaal was not so
ill-disposed towards us. Our oxen continued to walk with sturdy steps;
we had not yet lost one, although the cattle plague was prevalent at the
time. Wednesday, at four o'clock in the evening, we left the house of an
English merchant, with whom we had passed a little time, and who had
placed at our disposal everything which we needed. Towards eight
o'clock, by a splendid moonlight, I was walking in front of my waggon
with Asser (one of the native missionaries), seeking a suitable place
where we could pass the night, when two horsemen galloped up, and
drawing bridle, brusquely asked for my papers, and seeing that I had not
the papers that they desired, ordered us to turn round and go back to
Pretoria. One of these men was the Sheriff, who showed me a warrant for
my arrest, and putting his hand on my shoulder, declared me to be his
prisoner. This, I may say in passing, made little impression on me. We
retraced our steps, always believing that when we had paid some duty
exacted for our luggage and our goods, we should be allowed to go in
peace. Towards midnight they permitted us to unharness near a farm. The
next morning these gentlemen searched all through the waggon of the
native evangelists, and put any objects which they suspected aside. All
this, with my waggon, must be sent back to Pretoria, there to be
inspected by anyone who chose.

"That same day I arrived in Pretoria in a cart, seated between the Field
Cornet and the Sheriff, who were much softened when they saw that I did
not reply to them in the tone which they themselves adopted, and that I
had not much the look of a smuggler. The Secretary of the Executive
Council exacted from me bail to the amount of Ј300 sterling, for which a
German missionary from Berlin, Mr. Grьneberger, had the goodness to be
my guarantor. I made a deposition, saying who we were, whence we came,
and where we were going, insisting that we had no merchandise in our
waggon, only little objects of exchange by which we could procure food
in countries where money has no value. We had no intention of
establishing ourselves within the limits of the Transvaal; we were going
beyond the